American Government Unit 1

In English history, the Magna Carta (1215) and the English Bill of Rights (1689) both reinforced the concept of

• universal suffrage.

• religious toleration.

• a laissez-faire economy

• a limited monarchy

A federal government is one which

• grants broad legislative powers to a bicameral legislature.

• concentrates all power in the hands of the central government

• states ally together in order to form a political alliance to prevent the possible invasion from outside forces

• divides powers between the state and national government with the national government being supreme or sovereign.

Both John Locke and Thomas Jefferson wrote about the natural rights of humans. In what document are these "unalienable rights" specifically mentioned?

• the Bill of Rights

• the Mayflower Compact

• the Preamble to the Constitution

• the Declaration of Independence

Montesquieu is credited with devising the basic Constitutional principle of

• natural rights.

• popular sovereignty.

• separation and balance of governmental power.

• government was created by man for his own purposes.

The Magna Carta is MOST important for which reason?

• it created Parliament

• it was the "great charter"

• it created the first democracy in England

• it put limits on the monarch's powers

The ancient Greek city-state of Sparta was run as an oligarchy, meaning

• the economy was controlled by the masses.

• a small group of citizens controlled things.

• all adult males enjoyed equal political rights.

• foreigners were not allowed to participate in trade.

Canada has a Queen as its head of state, but also has a formal set of laws that is overseen by a Parliament and a Prime Minister. This means that its government could be classified as

• an autocracy.

• a dictatorship.

• a federal republic.

• constitutional monarchy.

Nearly all of Latin American governments use a presidential system of government. This means

• the president's power cannot be stopped by the judicial branch.

• an executive branch exists and has power separate from the legislature.

• a president must work closely with the parliament who chooses him or her.

• the executive branch is more powerful than the other branches of government.

Australia is a parliamentary democracy, so its political leader

• is whoever is the eldest child of the current reigning monarch.

• is elected by the majority of the popular votes of its citizens.

• is chosen by the party with the majority of members in the legislature.

• is elected by an electoral college chosen by the unicameral legislature.

According to John Locke, if the government failed to protect natural rights, what did citizens have a right to do?

• To divide the government into three separate parts

• To elect new government leaders to rule the country

• To overthrow the government and establish a new one

• To create a direct democracy and allow individuals to govern